By M10News International Desk|8 August 2025
President Xi Jinping has ordered an “all-out” rescue operation in China’s mountainous northwest after flash floods killed at least 10 people and left 33 missing in Gansu province.
The floods were triggered by intense rainfall on Thursday evening, which stranded around 4,000 residents in Yuzhong County. Emergency crews have been deployed to reach cut-off villages and evacuate people in danger.
In one mountainous area, up to 195mm (7.7in) of rain fell in less than 24 hours — nearly half the region’s typical annual total — sending torrents of mud and water rushing through valleys and across rural roads.
Footage from the area showed ankle-deep muddy water flowing down hillside routes, with trees ripped from the ground and scattered across roads.
Xi urged officials to focus on finding and rescuing missing people, relocating those in immediate danger, and restoring transport and communications as quickly as possible.
He also warned against “complacency and negligence” amid what he described as a sharp rise in extreme weather events in recent years.
Yuzhong lies on the loess plateau — one of the largest in the world — where wind-blown silt creates loose soil that can quickly destabilise when saturated, making the region highly prone to floods and landslides.
Across northern China, heavy rains and flooding have killed at least 60 people since late July, including in the capital, Beijing.
On Friday, the National Development and Reform Commission announced it had allocated 100 million yuan (£10.4m) to Gansu to help fund rescue operations and recovery efforts.
Since April, the Chinese government has pledged at least six billion yuan (£622m) in disaster relief funding nationwide.
China’s emergency services are also deploying additional medical teams, engineering units, and equipment to stabilise damaged infrastructure in the affected areas.
Meteorologists have linked the surge in extreme weather to the effects of climate change, warning that both northern and southern regions are facing increased climate-related hazards.
While the north contends with flash floods and landslides, southern China has been hit by prolonged heatwaves and powerful typhoons, creating a nationwide strain on resources.
Officials say the next 48 hours will be critical in locating survivors before conditions worsen due to further rainfall forecast in the region.
Editing by M10News International Desk | Contact: international@m10news.com
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